Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Small Readers: Tooth Fairy's Night by Candice Ransom, illustrated Monique Dong

This sweet story was a surprise love for me, and one I can't wait to introduce to my emergent readers.

In brisk, simple rhyme, the Tooth Fairy wakes up as the sun is going down, gets ready to go, and visits several houses. She collects three teeth from a sleeping white girl with blonde hair, a first tooth from a white boy (accompanied by an adorable first-tooth dance) and after a tea break makes her way to her next appointment. A dark-skinned, curly-headed girl is fast asleep but there's a surprise lurking under her blankets - a kitty! The Tooth Fairy's last appointment is with a little girl whose light brown skin and soft brown hair match the tooth fairy's own. Finally, it's time to go home and maker her own preparations for bed as the sun rises.

I really loved the pictures - they're softly colorful with many adorable details. The Tooth Fairy's pet mouse is a humorous nod to the cultures where a mouse acts as the tooth fairy and her house is full of little fairy details like a sink made from a shell and a cute button stool and thimble vase. The tooth fairy is perky and sweet, but strong and resourceful. She sprinkles sleep dust on an overly-friendly dog, zips out of the way of a cat, and is strong enough to dig teeth out of a welter of stuffed animals and dolls.

The bold, brief text is focused mostly at the top of pages, with a few words dropping to the bottom. It's a good beginning level, what I'd mark as a red dot (beginning level) in my library, although not low enough for a true emergent reader.

Verdict: This is one of those sweet, comforting reads that may not win awards but will be a staple in library collections and remembered fondly by children when they look back at their childhood.

ISBN: 9780399553646; Published 2017 by Random House; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

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